Tag: Christmas

How Dare You Celebrate Christmas Day at Church?

On By Mona SabahIn Uncategorized

I was so excited to see the calendar for December this year! To see that Christmas Day actually fell on a Sunday was wonderful! I guess it was NOT wonderful for many people – including some Pastors who are not holding service or taking an “easier” route like an Online Service for those who want to stay home. I am not sure what is going on these days… why wouldn’t you want to spend Christmas Day — of all days, at church with the body of Christ?

I guess it’s messed up priorities? Some say “Well, I have these traditions with family that take priority,” while others say “Christmas morning means lounging around in our matching family PJs, drink hot chocolate and listen to Christmas music.” That’s fine if you are not a Christian, but what does it mean to be a professing follower of Jesus Christ?

There is nothing magical about Sundays… other than it is the Lord’s Day. It is the symbolic representation of the risen Lord. He did on Good Friday. After 3 days, he rose again from the dead (Jewish days begin in the evening) …so Friday, Saturday, Sunday = Resurrection Day.

When we come together as the Body of Christ, we proclaim His resurrection and return. We gather together in hopes and anticipation of His promise. He is coming back to judge and to take those who are His own.

Why would you exchange that glorious truth to stay at home and lounge in your PJs? Are we that numb to the reality of what Jesus Christ suffered on our behalf on the cross? Or do we even stop to think of His voluntary humiliation to descend from the throne and come as a child, born of a virgin? Does that matter to “Christians” anymore?

Have you stopped to ponder what Christmas Day represents? Yes, I know that it may not be the EXACT day Jesus Christ was born, BUT we have this day that is set aside to acknowledge the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. If it is a Sunday and it’s Christmas Day, then I would challenge you to think about this — it is DOUBLE the Lord’s Day.

How about you set aside your comfort zone of traditions and cling tightly to the Word of God? How about clinging to Christ – not for the blessings He brings, but just for the sheer joy of who He is.

Born of a virgin, sinless, suffered and died on the cross for our sins, raised again from the dead, victorious over both sin and death, returning to judge the quick and the dead.

There is no one worthy to worship, other than Christ Jesus. The Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

O’ Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord!

Muslims & Christmas

On By Mona SabahIn Advent, Islam, Islamophobia, Jesus Christ, Muslim
Christmas Tree in UAE – From Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Christmas was such a controversial topic when I was growing up in my Muslim community in the United States! There were hundreds of opinions –one group would say “we should try to integrate “and the other would say “we should never celebrate Christian traditions.” For a few years, I never saw a Christmas tree or a present during December… until one day.

Apparently, there was a Christmas gift exchange going on in my younger sibling’s elementary school class. She came home and asked why Santa did not come to our home and if that meant something bad. She also asked to have a gift for the exchange and one for the teacher. All of these requests and questions left my whole family with a dilemma — to do or not to do? After some hushed debates between my parents, they decided on a resolution that seemed to fit our needs: they would compromise. Yes on the gifts but no on Jesus.

Our family celebrated Christmas, as do many Muslims. Christians are sometimes surprised when I share this. There was nothing wrong with giving gifts for a culture that believes in sharing. There was nothing wrong with enjoying parties during the Holiday season for a culture that loves giving and receiving hospitality. You see, Christmas is a time where many people open their homes and greet one another warmly. Muslims can see that and feel that joy that surrounds the season!

While we shared in the festivities, the lines were clearly drawn: there was no church or Jesus. Santa was a weird notion to me. I never did understand the tradition. Same goes for the tree or the eggnog. I never met others (who said they were Christians) who told me about what Jesus did or why they celebrated this season. Even today as a Christian, I am not sure they knew or understood.

What I did know was the following from the Quran:

  • Mary was Isa’s mother (Isa = Jesus’ name in Arabic)
  • Mary was a virgin and Jesus’s birth was a miracle from Allah
  • Jesus was a revered prophet
  • Jesus had a revelation from Allah called the Injeel (New Testament or Gospels)
  • That’s about it… did not know what the Gospels were or anything more

As Christians, we need to reach out and use every opportunity to welcome our Muslim co-workers, friends and neighbors. We should invite them to share in the joy of the season. HOWEVER, the entire Christmas season is to point to ONE thing: the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The book of Galatians states that ” But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). Jesus Christ came for a purpose and that purpose was to redeem those of us who cannot earn our own salvation.

Christmas is a time for us as believers to share the Good News of the Gospel with all – including Muslims. Do not be afraid. There are many Muslims who would love to have a conversation about Jesus (as He is held in high regard in Islam) and may even ask you questions about Christmas. Maybe instead of focusing on presents, we should focus on sharing the ultimate gift of salvation with others. May the Lord bless you as you share His love.

Merry Christmas!

What is Love?

On By Mona SabahIn Advent, Bible, Jesus Christ, Uncategorized4 Comments

imageThe 2nd week of Advent is about Love. You would think that a woman who loves Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters’ novels, I would be able to write about love without a problem. Truth is that I have been struggling since Sunday about what to write. How do you narrow down the topic of love?

The Ancient Greeks had the right idea. They had multiple names for Love: Eros (sexual, passionate love – the kind most people who are dating are looking to find), Philia (deep friendship – like “Philadelphia: City of brotherly love”), Ludus (playful love – flirting or catching someone’s eyes and smiling at a private joke), Agape (selfless love – later translated to Caritas, Latin for Charity), Pragma (mature, long-standing love), and Philautia (self-love). Another word I found for love from the Greeks is Storge – parental love.

Maybe this is why I was having a hard time narrowing down this topic.

It’s interesting to me that the 2nd week in Advent asks us to be reminded of Christ’s love for us. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I have been thinking about this over-used verse. You see it at football games and just about on every Christian bumper sticker. What does it actually say? If we break down each part, we see:

*For God so LOVED the world: Why would God love the world? Well, for starters, he created it. He also created human beings in His image. We bear the likeness of God – how amazing is that? By the way, that’s ALL human beings. Not just ones who claim Christianity, but also those who turn away from it or hate it. He created us in love, with a capacity to love others and he also created us to have a choice to love Him back.

*… that he gave his one and only Son: He GAVE. God gives. God gives freely. He gives so freely that he was willing to give a part of his eternal trinity – the presence of God the Son to the broken down world. Again, WHY would God do that?

*…that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life: This is why. This is the reason why Christ came, lived, died, and rose again from the dead. So that he would conquer death, so that all who believe in him will have eternal life. No strings attached. No earning God’s favor, no waiting to be a better person or maybe if I didn’t do such and such. God wants you as you are, but he wants you to come to him of your own free will. We can only share the message of Christ in love. We cannot and should not beat people over the head with the love of Jesus! It doesn’t work that way.

There is a verse I love from 2 Cor 2:15~

For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Notice it doesn’t say “stench.” It’s that beautiful, lingering perfume that makes people say “hmmm… what was that?” or makes people want to know more and stay with you just a little longer. If you are the stench of Christ, you could do more damage that will take more to untangle and undo.

The aroma of Christ comes from living the Gospel – treating others with a self-less love, of serving, of going last in a line and not insisting on first dibs for things. It’s allowing someone to take a parking spot at the mall and not careening in, yelling things with your cross dangling from the rear-view mirror. This is not easy to do – especially with the Christmas mall rush. However, I think it’s in these small, daily things that Christ is revealed to others.

May the amazing LOVE of God’s sacrifice be true for you this week as you look towards celebrating the birth of Christ Jesus.

What is HOPE?

On By Mona SabahIn Advent, Bible, Jesus Christ, Muslim, Testimony, Uncategorized

 

What is Hope?

What do we Hope for?

What happens if we lose Hope?

The first week of Advent revolves around Hope. Merriam Webster defines it as:

HOPE: to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true

Frankly, this is a strange definition. For me, hope is the blessing of a new day. It’s the love of a family and the presence of peace in my home. It’s knowing that no matter what, with God’s help, all will be well- even if everything in my life is topsy-turvy.

When I became a new Christian, the hope I found in Christ was like nothing I had experienced. For this reason in the Bible, hope is mentioned in conjunction with God. There are several verses that talk about the hope we have in Christ. We are called to one body, one Spirit, one Hope (Eph 4:4). Faith is also linked to Hope. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see (Heb 11:1).

As a Muslim, I did have hope. It was set squarely in my own abilities and in my parents. I believed that my own good works and the good reputation of my family would be enough to carry me along my whole life. Very quickly, that deteriorated. I realized that was a childish attitude and that I had more desire to fulfill my own selfish needs than to help others. I still believed I was a good person, because I didn’t understand God’s absolute holy nature and that I could not earn my way into His favor.  Throwing some change into the red Salvation Army bucket solidified the thought that I was such a nice person.  I chose to place all the hope I had in myself.

As an immigrant, the American Dream played right into my hopes and those of my parents. This is a country like no other. If you try hard enough, you can make your own future, your own piece of heaven, your own peace and freedom. As a driven person, I almost burnt myself out on my career. I created competition between my husband and I (my career is better than yours) and I ignored the needs of my children. At the same time, I was raising quickly up the corporate ladder. I was loved and adored at work but at home, I had a great deal of sadness. My hopes and dreams were being fulfilled but there was an empty void. This wasn’t quite what I had envisioned. Maybe if I had more titles, money, prestige, I would be better.

It took me several more years until I realized that hope shouldn’t be in myself or in others. When I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, there was an immediate sense of relief. God wants you drop your burdens at His feet and to come to him as you are. You don’t have to wait until you are an executive, or until you have met certain goals or a rank. In fact, he says “blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5).” That is so backwards from what the world says. I think that’s why it stays in your brain as a kernel of truth that distrupts thought.

So it makes sense that the first week of Advent is to light the candle of HOPE. It belongs to Christ. We cannot lose it when he holds it secure. We can run to him for the hope that shines like a beacon in the dark. Hope beckons us in turbulent times, when the waves of life come crashing down upon us causing us to slip and be tossed about on waves like infants(Eph 4:14).

Have you  lost hope? Have you looked for for it? Have you found it in Christ? This is the time when we can confidently approach the throne of God and find all our hopes and dreams at Jesus Christ’s feet, for our treasures are stored up in heaven.
~We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain… Hebrews 6:19